August 16, 2013, issue of 'AOPA ePilot' weekly newsletter

Top Stories

The FAA has proposed an airworthiness directive (AD) that would order inspection and removal of aftermarket cylinders used on Continental engines in many popular general aviation aircraft. But the proposal would raise new safety risks and impose an "enormous financial burden" on aircraft operators, AOPA said. Read more...Share:">

The AOPA Foundation's Air Safety Institute has been awarded the "Champion of Public Benefit Flying" Award by the National Aeronautic Association, in partnership with the Air Care Alliance, a nationwide league of humanitarian flying organizations. Read more...Share:">

AOPA gained an exclusive inside look at a general aviation aircraft search, and the association opposes a proposed FAA airworthiness directive that would cost millions. Also this week, stopping spins and protecting yourself from laser blindness. AOPA Live This Week, Aug. 16...Share:">

Technique and Safety

Easier vacation and holiday travel is one of the major benefits of general aviation. We get to do something we enjoy, accomplish a "mission," and avoid that eight-hour drive to the beach. All too often, though, things go horribly wrong—as attested by the grim headlines that follow nearly every holiday weekend. Watch the Air Safety Institute's Vacation Pilot Safety Announcement, and make sure that your name isn't next on the list.Share:">

The crash of a Turbo Commander into two houses less than a mile off the runway at Tweed-New Haven resulted in tragedy: the deaths of two on board and two children in a house. More regulation would not have prevented this, but something didn't work. Read more...Share:">

Datalink has taken a lot of the uncertainty out of weather flying, but using it safely means more than just counting on Nexrad to steer you around whatever's out there. Join AOPA Foundation President Bruce Landsberg and datalink expert Dr. David Strahle for a must-see discussion of how you can use cockpit weather to complete more trips and minimize weather risks. Register here...

Advocacy

A general aviation jobs rally in Albuquerque, N.M., brought out a "terrific crowd" that heard business leaders and elected officials describe the industry—as Gov. Susana Martinez put it—as "something worth celebrating, and worth building on." Read more...Share:">

AOPA President Craig Fuller said he had "the chance to see just how general aviation can prosper when we get pilots and elected officials engaged" at a general aviation jobs rally in Albuquerque, N.M. Read more...Share:">

The "tremendous renewal" of a small airport in Oregon's Central Cascade exemplifies what can be achieved when public and private resources are put to work toward a common goal with community support, AOPA said. Read more...Share:">

A California agency's proposal to enact an overflight restriction within state wilderness, cultural, and natural preserves usurps the FAA's ability to regulate airspace and provides no mechanisms for ascertaining aircraft altitudes, enforcement, or pilot notification of the location of restrictions, AOPA said. Read more...Share:">

Health

Over the past few decades great strides have been made in finding ever more successful treatments for many types of malignant disease, but Ben Franklin's weighty quotation "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is on target. Read more...Share:">

Technology

A research project under way in Europe has promise to reveal clear-air turbulence and offer smoother rides in years to come. A Cessna Citation fitted with a laser range finder adapted for the purpose is collecting data that may one day enable cockpit warnings of bumps ahead. Read more...Share:">

Researchers at the German Aerospace Center have been flying about 50 feet above the airport in an Airbus A320, hoping to bust as many bugs as possible. The goal is to develop airfoils that will shed rather than shatter flying insects, and thus reduce drag. Read more...Share:">

Gear

Mobile aviation technology company Hilton Software's latest approach to improving pilots' resources for making decisions is the newly released WingX Pro 7 Version 7.0 for the iPad. Read more...Share:">

NextGen avionics manufacturer NavWorx announced in July that it had obtained Federal Communications Commission approval for an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) transceiver. Now the Rowlett, Texas-based company is following up by announcing it has received FAA technical standard order (TSO) design approval for its ADS600-B universal access transceiver. Read more...Share:">

Travel

Twenty-year-old Jennifer Guetterman has returned from a free trip to France after participating as the only American among 75 racers in the Tour Aérien Des Jeunes Pilotes. To prepare for the race, Guetterman studied French pilot and flying regulations, brushed up on her French, read about the Diamond DA40 she used in the race, and went up with a local flight instructor. Read more...Share:">

News and Notes

When members of the Antique Airplane Association head to Blakesburg, Iowa, in late August for the group's annual fly-in, they will celebrate 60 years of joyful labors dedicated to preserving and restoring aviation's past. Read more...Share:">

The man who built an airport that inspired the makers of Disney's Planes "selflessly has dedicated his life to his love of aviation, and helping his fellow man find pleasure in their love of flying," according to a friend. Read more...Share:">

AOPA Career Opportunities

Ever dream of turning your passion for aviation into a career? We're looking for an AOPA Live editor/graphic artist. To learn more about other AOPA career opportunities, visit AOPA Online.

Question of the Week

How well do you know the regulations and other aviation facts?

Question

My airport manager said I can't keep a refrigerator in my leased hangar. Does he have any authority to regulate how I use my hangar?

Answer

If you're leasing a hangar on a public airport which has received federal funds for airport improvement, then it is likely that your airport manager is obligated to restrict hangar use to aeronautical use only. If the FAA discovers that hangars are primarily being used to store ground vehicles, appliances, furniture, or other nonaeronautical items, the FAA may take action against the airport sponsor. The airport manager must enforce certain rules on the airport in order to remain in compliance. Read more about airport compliance here.

Got a question for our aviation services staff? The AOPA Pilot Information Center is a service available to all members as part of the annual dues. Contact AOPA.

AOPA Stay Smart Webinars

Aug 28 - Matters of the Heart (Must be a member of AOPA's Pilot Protection Services program to attend.) Register here.

Engage in Aviation

Check out user-submitted events from your region. To include an event or to search all events in the calendar, visit AOPA Online. AOPA does not endorse the events listed below, nor have ePilot editors edited the submissions. AOPA assumes no responsibility for events listed.

Although Congress is about to break for its August recess, AOPA members should keep calling their elected officials and asking them to co-sponsor the Pilot's Bill of Rights 2 (PBR2), said AOPA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Jim Coon.

Mark Scheuer was tired of yelling at his wife across the noisy cockpit of their Grumman Yankee, and he thought there had to be a better way of communicating. PS Engineering Inc. was born out of that necessity and is now celebrating its third decade of forging new ground in cockpit communication technology.